Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yair Lapid published a joint statement expressing regret over Prof. Jacob Frenkel's decision to withdraw himself from the appointment as Israel's new Bank of Israel governor.

"Frenkel's announcement is a direct result of the prevalent atmosphere in which a person is slandered without the right to voice his claims. In the atmosphere that exists today, we are not far from the day that nobody will want to go near public life," the two wrote in their statement. (Ynet)